Selenium Drives a Transcriptional Adaptive Program to Block Ferroptosis and Treat Stroke. Academic Article uri icon

Overview

abstract

  • Ferroptosis, a non-apoptotic form of programmed cell death, is triggered by oxidative stress in cancer, heat stress in plants, and hemorrhagic stroke. A homeostatic transcriptional response to ferroptotic stimuli is unknown. We show that neurons respond to ferroptotic stimuli by induction of selenoproteins, including antioxidant glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4). Pharmacological selenium (Se) augments GPX4 and other genes in this transcriptional program, the selenome, via coordinated activation of the transcription factors TFAP2c and Sp1 to protect neurons. Remarkably, a single dose of Se delivered into the brain drives antioxidant GPX4 expression, protects neurons, and improves behavior in a hemorrhagic stroke model. Altogether, we show that pharmacological Se supplementation effectively inhibits GPX4-dependent ferroptotic death as well as cell death induced by excitotoxicity or ER stress, which are GPX4 independent. Systemic administration of a brain-penetrant selenopeptide activates homeostatic transcription to inhibit cell death and improves function when delivered after hemorrhagic or ischemic stroke.

publication date

  • May 2, 2019

Research

keywords

  • Brain Ischemia
  • Cell-Penetrating Peptides
  • Ferroptosis
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic
  • Intracranial Hemorrhages
  • Neurons
  • Phospholipid Hydroperoxide Glutathione Peroxidase
  • Selenium
  • Stroke
  • Transcription, Genetic

Identity

Scopus Document Identifier

  • 85065528636

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

  • 10.1016/j.cell.2019.03.032

PubMed ID

  • 31056284

Additional Document Info

volume

  • 177

issue

  • 5